Together, the future is bright.

With a global presence and local connections, the IxDA community is like no other professional organization. We are proud of what we as a community have accomplished, and our journey together is far from complete.

About & History

IxDA was incorporated in 2005 to address the needs of the then-emergent field of interaction design. In the intervening years, interaction design has grown as a industry and an area of study, at the same time the recognition of its value in the creation of great products has grown.

We were the first community for those interested in the practice of interaction design, and now we are the largest, with over 200 local groups and more than 100,000 individuals globally. We are driven by a passion for design, and a belief that our practice of interaction design can make the world a better place. Through local meetups to global events and initiatives, this community comes together to connect, to advance our professional craft and improve our shared human condition through that effort.

We believe that the human condition is increasingly challenged by poor experiences. IxDA is committed to improving the human condition by advancing the discipline of Interaction Design. To do this, we foster a community of people that choose to come together to support this intention. IxDA relies on individual initiative, contribution, sharing and self-organization as the primary means for us to achieve our goals.

What is interaction design?

Interaction Design (IxD) defines the structure and behavior of interactive systems. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the products and services that they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond.

Our community

IxDA today is a global community of people who share an interest in interaction design. We are designers, developers, academics, researchers, and more. We’re not a professional organization in the traditional sense: we don’t care if you call yourself an interaction designer or not.

Our community also extends to our employers, our sponsors, and those who make products and services for us, as well as with us.

Our work

IxDA is committed to advancing the practice of Interaction Design. Here’s are just a few of the ways we do that:

Local groups
In 200 cities around the globe, IxDA members self-organize on a regular basis to connect, learn and inspire.

Conferences
Our annual conferences in Latin America and North America/Europe together host thousands of attendees each year. Additionally, conferences are held regionally by affiliated community members.

Interaction Design Awards
To increase understanding and awareness of the field and to promote a standard of excellence, we host annual Interaction Awards presented at Interaction Week. Recent winners included an experimental system to help the blind navigate in the London underground and a mobile app that fights childhood obesity.

Student Design Challenge
We are fostering the next generation of designers through our annual Student Design Challenge.

Get involved!

IxDA is fully the product of our passionate and engaged community. What’s more, membership in IxDA is free — your “dues” are paid by your participation. Connect with your local group. Join the online community. Attend a conference. You make the community better by showing up.

Have more thoughts? Get in touch with the IxDA leadership. We’d love to hear from you.

Support IxDA

Without the generous contributions, participation and support of the global interaction design community, IxDA wouldn’t be where it is today. The Interaction Design Association is member-supported rather than membership-supported. You are a member if you say you are, and pay no dues. It’s that simple. Help us keep it that way.

IxDA Timeline

In the early 2000’s, interaction design was taking shape as a profession, but people interested in its development had precious few places to come together.

2003

Bruce Tognazzini published his seminal call to arms It’s Time We Got Respect.

2003

Yahoo email group formed to connect interaction designers. Local groups form in NYC, Milan.

2005

IxDA incorporated, first Board of Directors named. Robert Reimann is first president.

2007

First annual Design by Fire conference in Utrecht, Netherlands.

2008

First annual global conference held in Savannah, Georgia USA.

2009

First Interaction South American conference held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

2011

2012

2013

Interaction13 in Toronto, Canada celebrates IxDA's 10th anniversary

2014

IxDA partners with the Gates Foundation to present the Student Design Challenge brief "Information for Life"

2015

IxDA partners with 'Design Connects', the Interactional Design Congress in Gwangju, Korea to include an Interaction Design track for the first time
IxDA signs the Eeum Design Declaration in Korea, with 8 other international design organizations